Reflective displays are generally considered to be one of the main display technologies for many current and future applications. In recent years, a number of different technologies have been proposed for use in reflective displays. Electrowetting is one of the technologies for display applications, such as for high brightness color displays.
One of conventional approaches to realize color electrowetting display is to use an RGB color filter in combination with electrowetting display units. This approach may have certain advantages compared to electrophoretic and reflective liquid crystal. In some examples, the approach may provide benefits such as low cost, low power consumption, improved color conversion factor and/or fast response. However, some of the incident light may be absorbed by the color filter and may reduce the brightness or contrast of the display. An example of a single-layer electrowetting display is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Another approach may include using three monochrome layers stacked together, which is known as a tri-layer architecture, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2. This approach may offer an improvement in optical performance comparing with the single-layer architecture, such as improvement in color conversion factor. Nevertheless, some designs under this approach have certain drawbacks in some applications, such as complicated manufacturing process and high cost. Moreover, the flexibility of the display may be reduced due to multiple layers. Therefore, it may be desirable for some applications to have an alternative electrowetting display designs, such as designs with low power consumption, low cost, and/or good display performance.